ZIAM ONE-SHOTS (BOTTOM LIAM)

I'd Rather Pretend (I'll Still Be There at the End)

Author: khaleesiq

link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4492800

Summary:

Flashes of staying up late, reading comic books under the dull light of a flashlight, whispering and sharing secret kisses under the covers play in Zayn's mind. Stolen moments of happiness during some of the toughest and most grueling months of his life. And then tears, goodbyes, and promises that would never come true. Every little thing he associates with the boy sitting in front of him now, five years later.

Except, this is a different boy. This Liam isn't the same Liam who had those beautiful natural curls that he hid with a straightener. This isn't the Liam who was so serious and earnest about every aspect of his life, especially Zayn. This is the Liam that left him, and decided that Zayn wasn't worth the effort.

Liam nods at Zayn, his smile faltering slightly at Zayn's stricken reaction. "Hey Zayn. It's good to see you again."

(Or, the one where Zayn and Liam are both successful solo artists that used to date during X Factor, and years later Liam comes to Zayn for help on his album.)

Work Text:

There's nothing like the rush of adrenaline you get after a show, Zayn thinks. Despite being on his feet for two hours straight, projecting his voice to thousands of people without a break, he feels nothing but energized. He feels as if he could run a marathon, and Zayn hates running.

It's not a very big gig, but he still gets the same overwhelming feeling of gratefulness when he hears the fans screaming his name and the lyrics to his songs as he does at bigger gigs. In fact, he prefers doing shows at the smaller venues. It feels more intimate, like he has a chance to actually connect with almost everyone there.

Of course, he can't always play the smaller venues. You can't be the winner of six VMAs, ten BBMAs, three Brits, and a Grammy nominee and just play small venues. But every once in a while, Zayn gets his manager, Louis, to pull some strings and let him play somewhere small.

"You were great out there," Louis praises as Zayn jumps into the slick black SUV. "As usual," he adds with a wink.

"Thanks Lou," Zayn says before gulping down a whole bottle of water.

Under normal circumstance, it doesn't take long for them to reach Zayn's flat in the middle of London. Even though traffic is usually terrible in London, with the show just ending, the traffic is ten times worse than usual.

Louis groans as he leans his head against the window, trying to gauge just how bad the traffic is. "It's gonna be a long ride, mate," he says, reclining against the seat and shutting his eyes. "Might as well try to get some sleep in."

Zayn isn't tired though. He's still high on adrenaline. Besides, it's not like he really needs sleep right now.

Technically, he's supposed to be on a break right now and working on his next album. But he's been on a break for more than two months and he could tell that the fans were getting anxious and worried about him dropping off the face of the earth. And normally he would just tweet something like "new album is looking great" except...well...

He hasn't exactly been working on the new album.

Every time he sits down to write something, nothing comes to him. He carries his notebook around with him everywhere, hoping that he'll get a little bout of inspiration when he least expects it, but he hasn't. And it's fucking killing him.